Article wall hanger



Dec. 22, 1953 R. c. NYE

ARTICLE WALL HANGER Filed March ll, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

A TTO'R NE' Y;

Patented Dec. 22, *1953i*Y UNITED STATES QTENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to andhas for a purpose the provision of an inexpensive, durable and efcient hanger for suspending on a wall articles of various characters, and particularly, although not necessarily, fabric articles such as bath towels in f bathrooms, tea towels in kitchens, and coats, dresses and other forms 'of clothing.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide a hanger having a shank or stem which, in the applied position of the hanger on a wall, projects horizontally therefrom to support an article thereon, and which is formed with teeth or projections that function to grip the'article with sufm cient security to prevent it from slipping therefrom, and yet not damaging the article while thereon, or when removing it therefrom.

It is also a purpose of my invention to provide an article hanger in which the stem or shank is constructed of rubber having a degree of resiliency or elasticity such that it can ex to provide a three-fold purpose. n the event the stem is accidentally struck by a person passing it, as may occur when the hanger is located in close quarters. the person cannot be injured or his clothing damaged. Should the weight of an article placed on the hanger be such as to cause the stem to iiex downwardly, the teeth on the upper side of the stem will be separated and positioned to more prominently expose their edges to the article, and

thus more firmly engage the article to prevent it from slipping from the stem.

The third purpose of constructing the stem of resilient or elastic rubber is that in the preferred form of my hanger it embodies a vacuum cup for attaching it to a wall and to which the stem is xed, and since the stem is resilient it can yield laterally either under the weight of a heavy article thereon, or `when struck by one accidental ly in passing it, without detaching the cup from a wall.

I will describe only two forms of hangers, each embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig, 1 is a view showing in perspective one forni of hanger embodying my invention in position on a wall and with a towel shown in phantom sus pended thereon.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hanger shown in Fig. 1 and in position on a wall.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the hanger as attached to a wall, and with the stem thereof ilexed under the weight of a towel thereon shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a modified form of hanger embodying my invention, partly in sec# tion and in secured position on a Wall.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the hanger of Fig. 4 in front elevation.

Having Aspecific reference to the drawings`my invention in the embodiment shown in Figs. l to 3, comprises a hanger of unitary `construction which is made up of a body B and stem S'both formed ofelastic or resilient rubber or a rubber composition, and which may be molded in one operation as an integral structure. The body B is constructed of soft rubber, and it has a concave side l 5 and a convex side i6 which cooperate to form a vacuum cup.

The stem S extends from the center oi the convex side l5 of the body or cup B, and for a distance su'icient toY readily support various forms of articles thereon, and it is substantially round in cross section. The resiliency or elasticity of the rubber of which the stem is made, is such that when flexed in any direction from such position either accidentally or otherwise it will spring back to normal linear and axial position on the body B.

The stem S is shown vas formed with projections or teeth T arranged in rows extending lengthwise thereof, with the teeth of each row spaced from each other by grooves I8 extending circumferentially in the stem. The teeth of adjacent rows are spaced from each other by linear grooves l extending longitudinally in the stern. Each tooth T has side faces 20 converging into an outer face having a fiat portion 2l and an inclined portion 22 sloping into that groove I8 at the corresponding end of the tooth. The other tooth end or that end facing the body B, is at right angles to the flat portion 2! and the adjacent groove I8, to form a relatively sharp edge 22 transversely of the tooth.

In the use of my hanger it is afiixed to a wall W by pushing on the stem S so as to press the concave side of the vacuum cup against the wall, thus causing it to secure the stern in horizontal position on the wall. Upon placing on the stern any fabric article such for example as the towel A shown in phantom in Fig. 3, portions of the towel, under its own weight. will be pulled downwardly between those teeth T on the sides and top of the stem and into the grooves IB. As a consequence, the edges 22 of these teeth are caused to so engage the towel as to secure it from slipping off the stem.

Should the weight of the towel be such as to cause the stein to flex downwardly as shown in Fig. 3, the edges 22 of those teeth at the top side of the stem will become more widely spaced and the grooves IB extended transversely to permit those parts of the towel within the grooves to more rmly seat themselves between the teeth and thus cause the teeth to more securely hold the towel against slipping from the stem.

The resiliency of the stem S aords the additional advantage of flexing in any direction should it be accidentally brushed against by one passing, so as notte detach the vacuum cup from the wall or to injure the person.

In order that a conventional coat hanger H may be suspended from my hanger, an annular ange 23 is formed on the inner end of the stem to provide an annular groove 24 between the flange and the body B, in which the hook of the coat hanger can be received.

In Figs. 4 and 5 l have shown a modied form of hanger which has a resilient rubber stem SI with the same tooth construction as the rst form of hanger, but the body B! thereof is formed of hard rubber. Embedded in this body is the squared end 25 of a screw 25 which projects from the iiat side of the body so that it can be screwed into a wall as illustrated.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of hangers, each embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A wall hanger for towels and the like, including: a wall attaching body; a linear stem xed at one end to said body so as to be supported horizontally on a wall by said body; and teeth on the stem arranged in rows extending lengthwise of the stem and spaced circumferentially thereof., the teeth of each row spaced one from the other, and each tooth having an edge substantially perpendicular to the stem; the stem of resilient rubber to allow downward bending thereof under the weight of a towel hung thereon causing greater spacing of the teeth of that row at the top side of the stem thus allowing parts of the towel to sink between the teeth and thereby increasing the towel-gripping action of the teeth edges.

RAYMOND C. NYE.

References Cited Yin the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS y am "en 

